Monday, August 23, 2010

Restaurant Week #2 continues...the next few will be from my recent trip to the Bay Area (San Francisco and Berkeley). And, yes, it is back-to-back Thai restaurants. I love Thai food.

My college roommate, Agnes and I took a road trip with her 5-year old daughter Julia to the Bay Area. One night, we met our UCLA roommate Diane for dinner. Diane's vegan and she selected Green Papaya Thai in Berkeley.

To be honest, I always have some doubts when venturing into vegan restaurants...I think I've got scar tissue from visiting Cafe Gratitude several times in the Bay Area. (It's not the mostly raw food, although I do like warm soup, it is the names of the menu items.)

I AM DAZZLING CAESAR SALADI AM INSIGHTFUL SPRING ROLLSI AM TRANSFORMED TACO PLATEI AM ACCEPTING SUSHI BOWLSee the menu...I'm not kidding.Then, when the waitstaff delivers your meal, they say, "Who is Dazzling?" and when you weakly raise your hand, they place it in front of you with a "You are Dazzling!" Kill Me.

The first thing I ask at any Thai restaurant is "Do you have mango and sticky rice today?" Since it is seasonal, sometimes I'm disappointed. But if they do, I plan accordingly and make sure I save space! :) This dish is one of my favorites. Mango, rice, coconut milk. Delish!

If you are visiting the East Bay, try Green Papaya Thai Vegetarian restaurant. You will find it Dazzling (and not annoying)! :)

Yum! Sounds so good. I am dying for good thai food. It just doesn't exist here. I love your description of Cafe Gratitude. The menu and delivery would bug me, too. I don't mind vegan but I really can't do raw, I like brown food way too much!